Taking Action

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Food on the Move's Investing for the Future

2024 was a year of investing in critical project infrastructure. Food on the Move keeps growing and welcoming new partners and community members. This investment will support our long-term sustainability, allowing us to build on our success.

The new office at Charter Avenue created an opportunity for a new operations space that fits our needs. We now host an on-site monthly market, have a designated food storage space, and have room to grow. In September, we also purchased a new electric cargo van. This allows us to use staff time more effectively, decrease programming costs, and build deeper connections with other food programs in the City.

We're excited to deepen our roots in the community in 2025. We have fresh partnerships and wonderful customers to look forward to.

2024 Highlights

  • Growing our reach and increasing food sales by 74%

  • Moving into our permanent operations space at Charter Avenue

  • Hosting 66 events across eight locations

  • Purchasing our new electric van and taking greater control over our program time and costs

  • Working alongside NL Public Libraries’ Library on the Go to issue 117 new library cards and check out 311 items

The exterior of Virginia Park Community Centre on a sunny day, with the Food on the Move tent -- one staff member organizing a colourful spread of produce -- in the foreground, and two staff from Library on the Go under a branded tent beyond that.

Expressing Our Gratitude

  • The City of St. John’s, for supporting two of our new locations (Shea Heights and Pleasantville) in city-owned buildings. A special shoutout to the recreation staff for promoting our markets and helping seniors attend.

  • Primary care staff at NL Health Services, for attending 10 markets to improve service navigation and connect people with wellness programs.

  • Our long-standing partners and market hosts at the Community Centre Alliance (Froude Avenue, Buckmaster’s Circle, Virginia Park, McSheffery, and Rabbittown) and the MUN Student Union.

Learn More

Research on seniors’ food security, including how Food on the Move can help.

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Segment about our community-based model at Food on the Move (CTV News)

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Growing Sustainability at the Western NL Food Hub

In 2024, we focused on making the Food Hub more sustainable. We wanted to reduce emissions, take control of our costs, and build a stronger foundation in local food systems. Buying our new electric van was a big step forward in that journey. Now, we control bulk order pickups from our producers and deliveries to our customers — all without a single drop of gas.

We also got out into the community to share our passion for local foods. We attended and presented at expos, markets, fairs, and symposiums, connecting with so many incredible people. We were also thrilled to help organize the first Local Plates Food Challenge and our Taste Test Competition. We can’t wait to continue growing and connecting with our community in 2025!

Food Hub Coordinator Richard, Regional Food Animator Samantha, and Program Intern Sumaiya pose in downtown Corner Brook as they load the electric van. Each person holds a box full of produce. The pulp mill and mountains can be seen in the background.

2024 Project Highlights

  • Using our new electric van for pickups and deliveries

  • Throwing our first anniversary and harvest party with all of our customers, producers, and friends

  • Nearly doubling the producers selling at the Food Hub and growing our product variety

  • Growing our registered customers by 46%

  • Expanding our pickup locations and bringing the Food Hub closer to customers in Pasadena, Deer Lake, Wiltondale, and Black Duck Siding.

Expressing Our Gratitude

  • Our five pickup point hosts: Frontier Cottages and Convenience, Off the Hook Fish Market, Birchbark Farm, Sweet Berry Farm, and Grenfell Campus

  • All of our wonderful, dedicated local food producers

  • The Killick Coast Food Hub for collaborating and exchanging ideas with us all year

  • David Vatcher of Best Coast Restaurant and Jamie Stone (musician) who helped us throw an amazing first anniversary and harvest party

  • NL Federation of Agriculture for promoting us to even more local producers and customers

  • Qalipu First Nation for their support and enthusiasm for our work

A high-angle photo showing a tray of vibrant purple beet-devilled eggs with piped yolks made for the Food Hub Harvest Party.

Growing for a Sustainable Local Food System: 2024 in Review

Learn More

Article about the Food Hub and our work with food producers (Agriview Magazine)

Segment on our new electric van for deliveries and pickups (CBC News)

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Partnering With Retailers and Great Things in Store

Phase One of Great Things in Store wrapped up in 2024 and we’re thrilled with everything we accomplished. When we began working with our retail partners in 2022, their deep connection to their communities was clear. They listened and learned about their customers’ food access challenges and had plenty of ideas to address them. They just needed support crafting a project they could resource, test, and evaluate. That’s where we came in.

Throughout 2023 and early 2024, we worked closely with our retail partners to plan and execute their pilot projects. We helped them navigate regulations, collect data for evaluation, apply for funding, and more. Four pilot projects were completed and another two are ready to launch soon. Many of the project changes are here to stay and the impact of our retailers’ leadership will be felt for years to come.

Big Impacts in Phase One

“The seniors really benefited because they had less food that was spoiled or wasted. It’s better for them to come in and pick up a few carrots than to have to purchase 3 lbs of carrots when they are only going to go bad in a week.”
— Oceanview Convenience (Southern Harbour)
“It allowed us to access a different market — a market that I assumed existed and am realizing now that it did, indeed, exist.”
— Three Mile Ridge (Lethbridge)
“Without Food First NL and this project, we wouldn’t have gotten this far with everything. This has been something we’ve wanted for a long time and it is wonderful to see it happen.”
— Ray's by K & D Grocery (Paradise)
“Especially this time of year with the winter weather, seniors typically don’t get out as much so they have been utilizing the delivery service.”
— Flynn's Clover Farm (Avondale)

Visit our website to learn more about our retail partners and their pilot projects.

A vacant grazing field in Central on a partly sunny day, bordered by a stripped branch fence in the foreground running back to the woods beyond.

Expressing Our Gratitude

  • Our retail partners, for being open-minded and dedicated to their communities

  • Our partners at MUN, Dr. Rachel Prowse, Rebecca Ledrew, and Viktoria Hergenreiter, for their insights

  • Miranda Cobb, our phenomenal developmental evaluation consultant, for her support throughout.

Welcoming 77 Charter Avenue, Suite 100

When the City of St. John’s opened its request for proposals for 77 Charter Avenue, Suite 100, we were immediately struck by its potential. A large office and community space in the heart of a growing neighbourhood. From the beginning, we wanted our proposal to reflect the community's ideas, wants, and needs. We had countless meetings, conversations, and brainstorming sessions with our partners and community groups.

We knew that other organizations were looking at the space too. Instead of competition, we collaborated with our friends at Stella’s Circle. Our visions for the space were closely aligned. We knew we could create a thriving community food space by working together and building on our strengths.

City of St. John's staff pose outside Charter Avenue in the sun with CEOs from Stella's Circle and Food First NL as the Mayor, center, hands over keys to 77 Charter Avenue.

Councillor Ron Ellsworth, Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O’Leary, and Mayor Danny Breen handing the keys to Laura Winters (Stella’s Circle, LEO) and Josh Smee (Food First NL, CEO).

On June 12, we officially received the keys from the City of St. John’s. We are incredibly grateful to the City for awarding us this space and seeing the potential of our proposal. With a strong vision to guide us, it was time to get to work.

We spent the remainder of 2024 working behind the scenes to create a functional space. Our Charter Avenue Program Assistant with Stella's Circle started in the fall. We created numerous governance structures, arranged contracts, and so much more. All the bits and pieces to make a new space work.

Now that we are firmly in place, we look forward to welcoming the community in 2025. The interior redesign and community engagement sessions will begin this winter. We can't wait to hear everyone's ideas. We look forward to creating a joyful place to laugh with friends, share big ideas, and (of course) eat fantastic food.

Supporting Local Food Action

Responding to outreach requests continues to be a big part of Food First NL’s work. Last year we received 265 requests from people across Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and the USA. We pointed folks to resources, wrote letters of support, made connections, and more. We also attended and/or gave more than 70 presentations, lunch-and-learns, conferences, workshops, and community gatherings.

Our Regional Food Animators played a big part in growing our outreach in 2024. While this looks different in each region, connecting with people is core to their work. Having boots on the ground across the province has been incredibly valuable. It allows us to step into new spaces, have face-to-face conversations, and share ideas in ways that weren’t possible before. We’re excited to see where 2025 takes us and the opportunities ahead!

A small, warm purple cupboard attached to deck supports of a beige building. The label on the cupboard displays the CLB logo and the words "Little Free Pantry".
The corner of a rusty red house with orange trim, against which sits a raised cupboard, painted yellow and labelled "Little Free Pantry".

Creating Connections in Eastern Rural

One of our goals for the Regional Food Action Meetings is to connect like-minded groups. We were thrilled to see this come to life on our Eastern Rural call when one organization’s work sparked action across the Bonavista Peninsula. It started with a conversation about their Little Free Pantry. The idea quickly took root with others on the call. Soon, there were two more Pantries, each offering food, hygiene items, and other staples. These organizations continue working together on meaningful actions to uplift their communities.

Two men -- one older and wearing camouflage clothing, the other younger and in flannel -- staff a booth advertisining both Sharing the Harvest and Food First NL. The table surface is covered with printed info materials.

A Flourishing Partnership With Sharing the Harvest

Our Regional Food Animators are building stronger relationships with our partners. And what better way to build a relationship than sharing an exhibition booth? During last year's Outfitters Show, Les shared a table and got to know Barry from Sharing the Harvest. Since then, we've connected on numerous occasions. Barry shared his expertise at our lunch-and-learn and weighed in on harvesting-related work across the province. We've worked together on donations and are working on more collaborations. With a little added capacity, our partnership has flourished. We love to see Sharing the Harvest's hard work pay off and the smiles their donations bring.